Annealing-furnace.



No. 890,250. PATENTED JUNE O, 1908.

H. L. THOMPSON.

ANNEALING vFURIWCE. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 19, 1905. RBNBWED NOV.16, 1907.

UNITED entras-PATENT OFFICE?l nnen L. THOMPSON, or W'Arnnepnr,coNNncTreUT.

ANNEALIN G-FURNAQE.

fspecineatiea of Lette-rs Patent.'

'Patented June e", 190s. i

Application filed May 19, 1905, Serial No. 261,166. Renewed November 16,'1907. Sex'ial'No. 402,531,- l

following is a specification.V

My invention relates to annealing furnaces in which the oxidizing atmosphere is eX- cluded from the metal during treatment and until the same has been'cooled.4

My object is to provide improved means for delivering the metal to the furnace retort without admitting the oxidizing atmosphere thereto, and my invention is especially adapted-tor continuously operating furnaces. lleferrmg to the drawings r-Figure 1, is a longitudinal vertical section of .the annealing 'furnace showing my'im roved .mechanism- 20`Fig. 2 is across sectiona detail of 'a portion of the charging device.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the severalviews.

The retort 1 is of the usual form havinga discharging end 2 extendingdownwardlyA into vthe tank 3;' its lower end being immersed in the Water contained i'n the tank.v In thel retort lis provided the conveyor 37. -;At.

.the receiving end of retort'l vis provided the cylindrical casing 4 having at its diametrici a ly opposite side from the retort opening 26, the' opening 14. -The specific a paratus illustrated isespecially adapted for the treatment of' Vstock such for instance as coils of bright metal wire. Within the casing 4 is suitably mounted, on shaft 7, a rotating structure or body. having radially disposed partitions 6 secured on bothsides to the circular disks. 35,'"thereby`forming -a series of sector-shaped compartments. The shaft 7 is driven'by the'chain 8 Afrom pulley 9 mounted on shaft 10 which i'sdriven from any suitL able source of ower. Pulley 9 is also provided with va w eelll, to which iseccentrically 'connected' at 12,'the rod 13,Whereby said rod 13 is adapted to be reciprocated in front of the aperture 14 Oflcasing 4. To rod nected at 19 with rod 20,-which isadapted to reci recata-through opemng 21, across the `13is also pivoted at 15, vone end of the rocking lever :16, supported at 17 by the arm 18. The other lend o1 lever 16 is pivotally conat of travel ofthe coils 22, in thezchu-te 5. he relative .diameters of the pulley not lshown on shaft and the pulley Qyvvhich are Y THOMPSON,

connected by chain 8, are such as to secure one complete rotation -of shaft with six rotations of Wheel 11.

from the path of travel of the coils 22 in chute 5 a coil is permittedto slide'into one of .the compartments between thel partitions 6.

By this construction i it'willbe seen that when rod 13 is Withdrawn,

so Y

a ncw'v compartment is presented to aperture v14 While, at the same time members 13 and 20 have so shifted as to permit the Inovement of. another coil downwardly against member 13, While with a still further movement of therotating structure the positions of 13 and 2() are again reversed to repeat the operation above described. That is to say each compartment during 'itspassage past aperture 14 of easing 4 receives one coil. Itis of course obvious that the proportions and dimensions may be so varied as to' permit the delivery of any desired number of coils to each compartment.

The compartments indicated by a, 'b and c will serve to show three positions in the operation of the delivery mechanism a shows the position of a compartment after it has received a coil from the chute. When one arcasing 4, the partition just in advance Ahas passed the pipe 23, so that steam, gas or etween said' twopartitions-an the oxidizing atmos here contained tition 6 has moved -past the aperture 14 o the p other non-oXidizin agent is admittedinto- Y the com artment in said com artment is expe ed throughair z pipe 24. compartment reaches vthe position indicated en the partitions-bounding the by b in Fi 1, the non-oxidizing agent is still enterin t 'e compartment and the oxidizing atmosp ere is being expelled through airpipe 25, so that when the compartment reaches'the position indicated by c, it is quite tree of oXi'dizin atmosphere and is n ow communicating Wit the aperture 26 of retort 1,

so that the coil. 22 may be delivered into the retort, andon'to the conveyer 37 .Y The coils delivered onto the conveyer 37 are carried forward to the retort in the direction of the arrow and discharged through the inclined ,extension 2"into the Water tank 3, vwhere the coils are cooled before coming into contact with'the oxidizing atmosphere. The retort 1 may befreed from oxidizing atmosphere in the usual way by the introduction of steam, gas or other non-oxidizing agent -tliiough pipe ".28 and expulsion of air through pipe 29.. The coils may be discharged in the water'tank upon the conveyer 27 and thereby carried upwardly out of said tank.

A substantially air-tight movable joint is provided between the rotating structures forming the compartments and the stationary casing surroundin 'the same, by the following devices; in the s otted end of each partition 6 is provided the plate 30, actuated by the bow spring 31 to cause the outer edge of said plate to press efiiciently against the inner circumference of the stationarycasing 4. In the sides of the stationary casing 4are provided the annular channels 33 in which are seated the packing rings 32 actuated by a series of bow s rings 34 to cause said rings to press efficient y against the sides 85 of the rotating structure and also against the ends of members 30. It is needless to say that the inner peripheral surface of the stationary casing 4, and the coperating or contacting surface of member 30, and the coperating surfaces of 35 and 32 are machined, or otherwise made sufficiently smooth and true, to fit and maintain an efficient movable seal for the pur-i poses indicated.

One of the advantages of introducing the coils of wire into the retort without passing the same through a liquid seal, is that anv economy of fuel 1s secured in maintaining the retort at the required temperature. It is also advanta eous to locate the conveyer 87 entirely withm the retort, and without having it pass through a liquid seal, since by this arrangement a saving of fuel is secured, and also the -damage to the conveyer, consequent upon the alternate heating and cooling thereof, is prevented'.

My device is especially useful in the an- -nealing of metals which it is not desirable to pass through a liquid seal .before entering the retort. v

What I claim is:- 1. In combination with a retort, a movable body provided'with a chamber movable to a position o en to the atmosphere, then to a position c osed to atmosphere and retort.`

veo

` and then to a position open to the retort, and means for expelling oxidizing atmosphere` from thev chamber While in said closed position.

' 2. In combination with a retort, a rotatat1@ body providedaah a Chargin Chamber movable to a position open tot e atmosphere, then to a position closed, to atmosphere'aiid retort, and then to a position o en to the retort, and means/for expelling oxi 'zmg atmosphere from'the chamber while in said close position.

32 In combination with a retort, a fixed casing inclosing the receiving aperture of the retort, a rotatable body inclosed in said casing, provided with a chamber movable, from a position in which the chamber is open to the outside atmosphere, to a position closed from the outsideatmosphere, and the retort,

`and. then to a position open to the retort, and

means for'expelling oxidizing atmosphere from the chamber while in the said closed position. v l 4. In combination with a retort, a fixed casing inclosing the receiving aperture of the retort, a rotatable body inclosed in said f casing, providedfwith a chamber movable,

from a position in which the chamber is openv to the outside atmosphere, to a position closed from the outside atmosphere and the retort, and then to a position open to the retort, means for expelling oxidizing atmosphere 'from the chamber While in the'said closed osition, and automatic means operthe outside atmosphere and the retort, and

then to a position open to the retort, means for expelling oxidizing atmos here from the chamber while in the said c osed position, andmeansfor maintaining a movable seal between the rotatable body and the fixed casing.

6. Iii-combination with a retort, a fixed l casing inclosing the receiving aperture thereof, a rotatable body inclosed in said casing, provided with a plurality of chambers movable, one after the other, from a position in which each in turn is open to the outside atmosphere, then to a position closed to the outside atmosphere and the retort, Aand then to a position open to the retort, and means Vfor expelling oxidizing atmosphere from each chamber when in said closed position, the'said chambers being so pro ortioned and positioned with respect to t e inclosing casing, that` one chamber will be receiving material, while oxidizing atmosphere is being expelled from another, and while another chamber is delivering to the retort.l

7. In'comb'nation with a retort, a fixed casing inclosing the receivingaperture there'L of, a rotatable body inclosed in said casing,

iio

provided with a plurality of chambers movwhich each in turn is open tothe outside ata'ble, one after the other, from a positionin mosphere, then to a osition closed to the out- '1 side'atmosphere an the retort., and then'to a position open tothe retort, means for expelng oxidizing atmosphere from each chamber when in said closed position, thesaid cham- .bers being so proportioned `and positioned i with res'pect to the inelo'singl casing that one g, quantity of stock to each chamber' passing chamber will be receiving material, while 'a given point. oxidizing atmosphere is being expelled from HUGH L. THOMPSON.

5, another, and While another chamber is deiiv'-4 Witnesses:

ering to the retort, and automatic means, CAROLINE S. CHURCH, operated relatively tothe operation of the l C. WALTER CHILDS.

rotating; body, for'deiivering therequii'ed' 

